ArticleSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2022
The last year of life for patients dying from cancer vs. non-cancer causes: a retrospective cross-sectional survey of bereaved relatives.
Article in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- Place of death in Parkinson's disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis of associated factors.Journal of Parkinson's disease · 2026Pooled it
- Early integration of palliative care in outpatient nephrology: exploring healthcare professionals' knowledge, attitudes, and communication practices - an exploratory multi-methods study.BMC nephrology · 2026Article
- Perceptions of end-of-life care quality among bereaved closest contacts of community-dwelling older Australians: a cross-sectional survey of the ASPREE cohort.Research square · 2026Article
- Evaluating the impact of a home palliative programme for terminally ill non-cancer patients with end-stage organ failure and severe frailty in Singapore.BMC palliative care · 2026Article
- Article
- From MINI to Meaningful Change-A German Pilot Study to Improve Patient Outcomes in End-of-Life Care.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Trends in palliative care utilization among older adult decedents with and without cancer in Taiwan: a population-based comparative study.The Lancet regional health. Western Pacific · 2025Article
- Article
- Inpatient hospice admissions. Who is admitted and why: a mixed-method prospective study.Palliative care and social practice · 2023Article
- End-of-Life Care Patterns by Disease Trajectory in Pediatric Intensive Care Units: A Multicenter Study.Pediatrics international : official journal of the Japan Pediatric SocietyObservational
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8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
purposeTo compare health care experiences of patients with cancer or non-cancer diseases in their last year of life.
methodsA cross-sectional post-bereavement survey was conducted using an adapted German version of the VOICES questionnaire (VOICES-LYOL-Cologne). Differences in the reported experiences were assessed using a two-sided Pearson's chi-square test and Mann-Whitney U test.
resultsWe collected data from 351 bereaved relatives. More than half of non-cancer patients were not informed that their disease could lead to death (p < 0.001). When this was communicated, in 46.7% of non-cancer and 64.5% of cancer patients, it was reported by the hospital doctor (p = 0.050). In all, 66.9% of non-cancer and 41.6% of cancer patients were not informed about death being imminent (p < 0.001). On average, non-cancer patients had significantly fewer transitions and hospital stays in their last year of life (p = 0.014; p = 0.008, respectively). Non-cancer patients were treated more often by general practitioners, and cancer patients were treated more often by specialists (p = 0.002; p = 0.002, respectively). A substantially lower proportion of non-cancer patients were treated by at least one member of or in the setting of general or specialized palliative care (p < 0.001).
conclusionsNon-cancer patients experience disadvantages in communication regarding their care and in access to specialized palliative care in their last year of life compared to cancer patients. Regarding the assessment of palliative care needs and the lack of communication of an incurable disease, non-cancer patients are underserved. An early identification of patients requiring palliative care is a major public health concern and should be addressed irrespective of diagnosis.
trial registrationProspectively registered by the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS00011925, data of registration: 13.06.2017).
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